Richard Pryor: Live in Concert

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Pryor offers countless comedy gems in this standup classic.

By Michael Drucker

For fans, Richard Pryor is considered one of the twentieth-century's most creative and controversial comedians. While other African-American comedians such as Bill Cosby were making their fame by appealing to a broad, family audience, Pryor was one of the first black comics to really push and pull at racial tensions for comedy. Almost every modern, popular comedian, from the observations of Chris Rock to the wild characters of Dane Cook, owe their success to the trail blazed by Richard Pryor.If you haven't heard Pryor's comedy before, the recently released Richard Pryor: Live in Concert is a great primer. Although some viewers might find the once-cutting edge material clichéd today, anyone can find something here to enjoy.

The MovieAll in all, this is a pretty standard comedy concert video. Although it doesn't have the same hip production values of modern Comedy Central fare, you definitely get a glimpse into the phenomena which Pryor created. Although you can never really hear the audience that well, you can see that Pryor is preaching to a large choir, and it really shows in the quality of Pryor's timing against the audience as well as his ecstatic facial reactions when a joke goes over well. Unfortunately, Pryor's humor also presents the ironic problem of modern audiences finding his "black people vs. white people" jokes cliché. Pryor was the first, but so many comedians copied his delivery and subject-matter that most audiences don't realize that, at one time, Pryor's dissection of racial behavior was innovative and controversial. Regardless, it might be hard for certain audiences to enjoy all of the concert without feeling like they've treaded this territory before with other, more modern comics.

Thankfully, racial humor isn't the only subject Pryor hits. Family issues, what it's like to be an animal, and the way that sports treat their athletes really show the comedian's range and ability to create believable characters within a short-span of time. Hearing him describe his mother spank him for being a smartass is still hilarious, despite every other comic - from Sinbad to Seinfeld - treading familiar territory. For fans of comedy's king, this concert is a classic. If you've ever enjoyed stand-up comedy, performed stand-up comedy, or heard about that thing called "stand-up comedy," Richard Pryor: Live in Concert is a solid buy.Score: 8 out of 10

The VideoFor a concert video shot in 1979, Richard Pryor: Live in Concert looks incredibly good. Presented in 16:9 widescreen, the video has surprisingly strong colors and good details. Although there's still some expectable grain and video artifacts, it never really distracts from the set and even lends it a classy feeling. Score: 7 out of 10The Audio PresentationUnfortunately, the sound suffers a bit more than the video. Although most of the problems are understandable with the age and quality of the production, it still is a bit bothersome that certain high-notes in Pryor's speech come off with a bit hiss. Furthermore, something that might bother modern comedy fans is the lack of a solid mic in the audience, meaning it's difficult to hear everyone's reactions. Of course, this isn't anything that could've been cured retroactively, but it still feels a bit off.Score: 5 out of 10

Packaging and ExtrasAbsolutely none. There isn't even an insert that comes with the Amray case. I understand that, with Pryor's health and death in the previous years, a commentary would've been nigh-impossible. At the same time, a small featurette about the comedian or a quick text biography would've added at least something.Score: 0 out of 10